French pronunciation, great new site

After I discovered the site I sent in a list of more than 20 names that I wondered about and Bela has recorded some of them already. She welcomes requests and adds new sound files every day. I am using an ordinary PC without any extra-special software and the sound plays fine, not sure how it works on Mac.

Last edited by furrypine; 11th January 2012 at 08:42 PM.
Reason: updated url

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

I agree that it's a great site and she's doing some of the more tricky names that people mispronounce frequently and that the online speech-generating websites might also mispronounce. (Rochas, Lutens, Mugler, etc)

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Thank you for this link, furrypine!
At long last French perfumes and perfumers perfectly pronounced and in clear sound on my (DOS) machine also!

I'll be back there tomorrow - just for the fun of it, and to remind me of the ending 's' in Fraca(s) and Rochaswhich I always had the other way around. Also Gian in Franco Ferré came as a total surprise to me (isn't Gian Franco also an Italian name ?)

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. It really makes it all worthwhile. Please don't hesitate to request names for me to record. And, once you've done so, please be patient: I will post them on a strict first come first served basis. I will also sometimes post names that haven't been requested but that I think should be included so your requests might take a little longer to appear.

I see someone else recorded a number of names last year. I swear I had no idea; I wouldn't want to tread on someone's toes. This has been a little pet project of mine for a very long time (ever since I joined MUA in 2002). I always said I would do it 'one day'. The day has finally come. :-)

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Originally Posted by Bela

I see someone else recorded a number of names last year. I swear I had no idea; I wouldn't want to tread on someone's toes.

That would be me! And you're certainly not treading on anyone's toes, Bela. My attempt has disappeared into the bowels of Basenotes history, together with all its broken links! You've done a beautiful job and finally we can put to rest all the discussions about french pronunciation. Super! Génial!

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Originally Posted by Trufflehunter

That would be me! And you're certainly not treading on anyone's toes, Bela. My attempt has disappeared into the bowels of Basenotes history, together with all its broken links! You've done a beautiful job and finally we can put to rest all the discussions about french pronunciation. Super! Génial!

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Originally Posted by Ron199

Give this one a shot....AT&T Labs Natural Voices® Text-to-Speech Demo

These kinds of sites are OK for the odd commonly used word, but not for strings of words because they work by sticking isolated, prerecorded syllables together. Therefore you don't get the French 'liaison' that is sometimes needed between two words. You won't find proper names there either: their pronunciation cannot always be predicted, e.g. you might think that the final 'ens' in 'encens' and the one in 'Lutens' would be pronounced in the same way, yet it isn't. An engine can't tell you that.

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

If I may... please use the comments form on the Alphabetical list post on Frag Name of the Day for your requests rather than posting them here. It will save me having to look in two different places for them. TIA :-)

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Originally Posted by Bela

These kinds of sites are OK for the odd commonly used word, but not for strings of words because they work by sticking isolated, prerecorded syllables together. Therefore you don't get the French 'liaison' that is sometimes needed between two words. You won't find proper names there either: their pronunciation cannot always be predicted, e.g. you might think that the final 'ens' in 'encens' and the one in 'Lutens' would be pronounced in the same way, yet it isn't. An engine can't tell you that.

Exactly! Although French (despite popular belief!) is generally a very well behaved language in terms of its 'rules of pronunciation', like any language, it does have its exceptions. 'encens', as Bela just said, is one common trap (in fact it's two!). Final 's' is a problem: we're taught in French classes at school (I am a french teacher!) that the final 's' is silent. Generally it is, but watch for the exceptions! These text-to-speech engines simply can't cut it and, if you take them as gospel, you'll end up pronouncing certain things completely wrong.

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

French is my primary language myself and I admit that its a good site with the right pronunciation. A Good idea!

Superbe travaille Bela.

I don't know if the word Fraiche is in there but it would be a good one to have, its maybe the most butchered word I hear in youtube review's. Im not saying this with any arrogance btw, just thinking that it could help a lot. I admire the effort of trying to pronounce it the right way.

Re: French pronunciation, great new site

Originally Posted by _FP_

French is my primary language myself and I admit that its a good site with the right pronunciation. A Good idea!

Superbe travaille Bela.

I don't know if the word Fraiche is in there but it would be a good one to have, its maybe the most butchered word I hear in youtube review's. Im not saying this with any arrogance btw, just thinking that it could help a lot. I admire the effort of trying to pronounce it the right way.

Sorry, I never got notification re. this post. Thank you for your kind words.